Nearing the finish line, or just starting?

[Amanda Howard]

Well, I am about to hit the 200 page mark and felt as though it was down hill from there. The rest was going to write itself. It was going great guns and I was very happy with the book. I knew a couple of things would need some tweaking but that it was going good.

I decided to print out a copy of what I had. I'd then sit and read it like a book. I had avoided it until then, I didn't want to come to the conclusion that I had written was crap and wouldn't be able to go on.

Well I got to page 38 and decided that my assumptions were correct. What I had written was crap. I had pretty much written the book in chronological order and the start, looking back was woeful, in my opinion. It was extremely descriptive and the story was jerked around, by describing the scenery rather that sticking with the main characters.

The storyline, was in fact two parallel stories, happening 150 years apart. However the old stuff in fact ended up sounding like a romance novel rather than a crime thriller.

So, it's out with the old. I might save it and send it to some romance fiction publisher. I won't throw it out. I'll keep it, it might even end up as a horror novel, with his beast chasing the main character. There is potential there, but it just doesn't fit well with the crime thriller I was writing along with it.

Once I pull out the Victorian period chapters, the book is going to be half as long already. But I think I'll be able to rework it. I totally love the storyline I've written. There is even a kiss or two in there for the hopless romantics like myself. However, there is more bodies and blood than anything else.

And how does the killer murder his victims? Well let's just say that it's not pretty. And it will take everything that Kate Reilly and her partner Andrew Stevens have.

Signing off

Amanda